It started with an April Fools' prank on the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops but once the LOL rules caught on, the bishops' blog got with the program, spreading the word:

Fellow Catholic tweeters started submitting their own #CatholicRulesForTwitter and retweeting those they found amusing. Over 400 tweets and retweets with #CatholicRulesForTwitter were shared within 24 hours. Others took notice and pretty soon there were #AnglicanRulesForTwitter and #LutheranRulesForTwitter. An online store was even set up to sell #CatholicRulesForTwitter merchandise, with all proceeds benefiting Catholic Relief Services (@CatholicRelief).

Among their favorites were:

@CatholicDan: Tweets posted on Saturday night count as being written on Sunday. #CatholicRulesForTwitter

@JonoShea1: On Fasts, only one full tweet is allowed. 2 smaller tweets permitted, if they do not equal a full 140 characters #CatholicRulesForTwitter

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About Cathy Lynn Grossman

Cathy Lynn Grossman is too fidgety to meditate. But talking about visions and values, faith and ethics lights her up. Join in at Faith & Reason. More about Cathy.